White Knight Chronicles Canticus Mortem
by EyeofLight
Summary: A fic set in the dogma wars - not related to origins! i just made it up. OC later. Please R and R. insert stuff about first fic here
1. A Battle Lost?

White knight chronicles: Canticum Mortem

_The Dogma wars..._

_A war that engulfed the globe. A war that saw nothing good come of it. A war that started over nothing, and expanded until brother fought brother, fathers fought sons, and friends stabbed one another at the merest notion of betrayal. The world tore itself apart._

_No-one knows how the war began. But everyone knows how it ended._

"_Millennia ago, During the Dogma wars, the Yshrenians fought the rest of the world, in a bloody campaign to seize with force what they could not get with guile."_

"_Such was the fury of the war that the world began to revolve around it. wild animals ceased to exist, replaced with feral monsters. Their habitat destroyed in fire and steel, they began to die out, until the only animals alive were the ones thrown into war.__Such was the Hate that the monsters, even to this day, attack humans on sight, as they did in the war__."_

Emptiness.

Darkness in all directions.

Scorched earth.

These were all anyone could see.

This was the Dreynor Wasteland, a huge expanse of broken rock and collapsed cliffs. Once the home of half the population of Dragons, now a ruined dustball, uninhabitable by both Dragon and Human.

Early in the Campaign, the Yshrenians had pushed out large forces, intent on Seizing the plentiful resources, guarded jealously by the Dragons. However, Selar, the Warrior General of Balandor, was intent on stopping the Yshrenian threat before it began. He immediately began a Campaign of aggression against all Yshrenian Traffic, halting almost all their operations. However, by the time the Balandorians had arrived in the Dragon's home, the Yshrenians had pursued a 'Scorched Earth' Tactic ; if they could not take the supplies, neither could the Balandorians.

As soon as the Balandorian troops had entered the scorched ruins, they were trapped. hundereds of Yshrenian Mages wove a great smoke spell, trapping the Balandor troops in a small island of light. Arrows rained on them incessantly, accompanied by the occasional magic outburst.

the Balandor troops held their ground, crouched behind shields or protected by their own magicks. but they could only protect from above.

The Yshrenians began to focus their magic; splitting earth. all the air rushed away from them, gales battering the Balandorian troops, as the floor shifted uneasily beneath them. some split open, tossing troops upwards to the sky, and crushing others with it's unknown, unknowable weight. finally, the balandor troops began to group together, onto a small safe place, guarded by their mages. and then, they summoned.

A huge glyph spread slowly across the open ground in front of the circle of steel. Whirlwinds of magic swirled incessantly, uneasily, casting dark shadows across the ruined floor. it slowly unfurled into a giant circle, and the earth stood still, and the wind ceased, as a dark shape was formed from darkness.

At first it was a mere skeleton, but muscles and flesh were knitted together onto it. it clothed itself in scales, and sprouted huge talons and fangs. two wings unfurled on it's back, and it roared to the heavens, finally free of it's sorceried confinement.

A Earth Dragon.

standing as tall as ten soldiers, it shook it's head as the mages whispered soothing mantras to it, pleading for it's assistance, lacing their words with subtle enchantments to convince it.

Arrows continued to rain down on them, blocked by the shields and bouncing off the slightly steaming scales of the Dragon.

it raised it's head, and deep brown eyes gazed into the murk cast by the Yshrenians. it drew in breath, as it prepared to begin.

As soon as it negamn to charge it's magic, it took power from the nearest source; the Yshrenians. many of their mages collapsed, overwhelmed by the psychic backwash, as the dragon grasped their colective magic and wrought the earth around it's very being, crushing the earth and spitting solid rock.

The Dragon let out a huge roar, and charged headlong into the darkness.

the troops, still in their circle of steel, watched as it quickly disappeared into the murk, and heard as smashing metal and screaming tore apart the night sky. huge colums of earth exploded above the darkness, bearing troops as they fired them into the night air. the dragon emerged from the darkness, flapping its wings steadily as it spewed rock on them, carving the earth to ribbons with incredible savagery.

twisting in midair, it sped forwards, talons and fangs bared, ready to kill.

as the soldiers watched, something with incredible force smashed the dragon out of the sky. it slipped into the darkness, its sclaes singed black, and slid along the ground, past the circle of steel into the darkness again.

a gigantic face emegred from the gloom. it had large flames on stalks on either side, and a cast-iron face-guard. the Cannon on it's back spewed fire incessantly, occasionally flaring up into an iridescent shot.

Pyredeamos.

it roared, huge hoofs of metal pounding the ground, as it charged the circle of steel, with a speed and ferocity that belied it's gargantuan size. howling, it dove at the Balandorians, killing as many with it's size as with it's cannon. the trooper's line broke, and many charged into the darkness, being cut down in their scores by the arrows and blades of the remaining Yshrenians.

Pyredeamos let out an earth-rending shot into the murk, where it collided with something, spewing fire hundereds of feet upwards.

The earth dragon, holding Solid earth as a shield in front of itself, emerged from the gloom. it ws scorched half black, but still stood tall. at the sight of it, many balandorian troops bagen to regrouop, bolstered by the appearance of the dragon. a huge scar now bisedcting it's face, it shaltered bahind it's shield. Another incredibly powerful shot blasted the earth shield in two, but the dragon had already discarded it and was charging headlong at Pyredeamos.

They clashed near the troops, and the very earth was sundered by the huge blows struck by each of them. the earth dragon soared upwards, wings flapping madly, to escape the conflagration being fired from Pyredeamos. swooping around, the Dragon caught Pyredeamos on the side of the cannon, tilting it over and knocking it to its side. Pyredeamos roared, collapsing on it's side as it crushed soldiers with it's bulk.

The dragon swopped straight into the ground, tunneling under it. Pyredeamos regained it's footing, searching the skies. it was not prepared when the earth shifted right beneath it, and the dragon came barreling out, almost cutting the monster in two. Pyredeamos was blasted backwards into the dark, crushing Yshrenians left and right. it seems that it must have crushed the last of the mages, for the darkness began to slip away from the circle. they could again see the battlefield, ansd almost immediately, half of them broke off and charged at the largest remaining formation of Yshrenians.

The dragon shook its head and roared at the prone form of Pyredeamos. the balandor troops charged at the Yshrenians. A shot from the still-prone Pyredeamos obliterated them, casting their bodies in to the dark. It forced itself upwards, turning to the dragon, bleeding deeply from several wounds. such a grevious wound would incapactitate the strongest dragon, but pyredeamon still stood. the two met again and again, crushing, tearring, firing. Fire and earth clashed in huge tornadoes, blasting the earth and any nearby soldiers.

Finally, both collapsed. The dragon, slash wounds all over it, fell badly, both of it's wings sliced off, two legs broken, all fangs lost. Pyredeamos stood, shaking, as it's mask had been smashed and it had a talon embedded into it's flank. charging up for one last shot, Pyredeamos gave a weak cry of victory, before incinerating the Dragon with a single, all-powerful shot of it's cannon. Scales split beneath the intense heat, and the dragon fell, finally dead.

Pyredeamos turned it's sights to the soldiers, who had just finished mopping up the Yshrenians. Only Pyredeamos remained.

gathering it's power to crush the few troops, Pyredeamos rasied it's gaping maw to the skies and let out a louder shout.

An arrow pinged off it's cannon. two more embeded themselves into it's side. a single arrw pierced it's eye. roaring, it steped backwards, as hundereds of arrows, fired by the Balandorians, clanged off it's armour and into its flesh. The sky darkened, as over seventy arrows pierced it. finally, slowly, Pyredeamos collpased. but still the arrows rained down. Soon, Pyredeamos resembled a giant pincushion. When soldiers ran out of arrows, they charged it's body with their blades, hacking it to pieces.

Face first in the mud, body covered in wounds, Fire extinguished, Pyredeamos died.

* * *

_heya all! sorry it took me so long to actualy put my money where my mouth is and actually write something! but don't worry, i'll get into the meat of things soo. Please Read and review, otherwise the EyeOfLight will not give you your turkey sandwitch! my first fic...yada...yada... the usual stuff. and please, Constructive critiscism, not Destructive criticism. whatever language you speak: Danke schoen, Arigato Goezimasahita, Merci, Thanks!_

_EyeOfLight_


	2. Ascent from Hell

The horizon bloomed with flame. The battlefield, easily in view, was full of soldiers and mages. The floor seemed to heave with their sheer numbers, waves upon waves of humans disappearing into smoke, sometimes highlighted by passing fire spells or louder screams.

The rocky outcrop held two people, looking out over the chaotic scene. Their heads followed a small group of soldiers who attempted to go around the smoke cloud, but where caught by a stray fireball. They were incinerated inside their own armor before they had a chance to even scream. Over to the rear of the field, a couple of wooden ballistae threw gigantic steel arrows into the smoke cloud, seemingly at random. Their giant arrows entered the smoke cloud and exited it, often covered in blood, at extremely high speeds, sweeping aside whatever was in their way. Only occasionally, whenever there was a particularly thick patch of soldiers or monsters would the arrows fail to emerge.

The two figures looked with interest as an Earth Dragon skidded out of the smoke cloud, it's feet unable to arrest it's motion. It continued to skid, sliding right into one of the Ballistae. The Ballistae tipped over, hurling the operator out of it and crushing one of the loaders before crashing to the floor, shattered. The dragon, winded, looked up at the smoke cloud for a second – just long enough to see the inside of the cloud take on a red glow. The red glow intensified until a loud explosion was felt, and a gigantic ball of iridescent fire exploded from the cloud, scorching a path through everything on its path to the dragon. The dragon flapped its wings frenziedly, gaining height far too slowly, the fireball flashed underneath it, scorching most of it's scales black. It howled in anguish and, taking strength from it's pain, flew into the cloud.

It flew out another second later, a gaping bite wound in its torso. As it lay on the floor, a demon emerged from the cloud.

Pyredeamos.

The fiery leviathan crawled towards the fallen dragon, its canon dribbling fire. The terrifying metal mask where the face should have been betrayed no emotions, but its lackadaisical movement style showed its confidence. Each of its four feet crashed to the ground, supporting its unknown, unknowable weight. Even from the rocky outcrop, the vibrations of each footfall made the earth vibrate. The strange runes carved into its skin made them sickly just looking at them – like the entire creature was just not meant to be. Some of the glyphs rolled over the skin, rolling around and weaving in and out of its bones. As its gaping maw opened, molten lava escaped from between its meter-long fangs, each one a deadly weapon in it's own right. It emitted a bellowing roar which echoed over to the rocky outcrop. A soldier, clutching their stomach in pain, was crushed into oblivion as a gigantic foot, clad in gold armor, smashed down onto them. The glow of its cannon began to cycle up again, growing in brightness until it was nearly impossible to look at it. Pyredeamos crunched a step backwards, clenching the muscles in its haunches to stabilize itself.

The Cannon Fired.

The powerful projectile blazed from the barrel, frying twelve soldiers who were nearby. The grass underneath the shot wilted and curled instantly. The shot flew at the dragon, burning it and smashing it to the floor, its wings clipped. It smashed into the floor with a great crash, the earth shuddering and heaving wildly, throwing many warriors to the floor. It wailed, its scales burning and shriveling, before expiring in moments. It's carcass continued to blaze as Pyredeamos approached and leant over it, grasping its neck in its powerful jaws. With one quick inclination of the head, the dragons neck snapped. As Pyredeamos opened its teeth, the lifeless corpse crunched to the floor again. Pyredeamos roared in satisfaction at its victory, lifting one foot on top of the corpse.

Over on the outcrop, one of the figures reached down and plucked a spear from the floor. They turned to go, walking in the direction of the battlefield.

"You can't stop that thing alone." The other figure said calmly. The voice identified the speaker as a young man. In the afterglow from the battlefield, he could be seen wearing an unusual shirt that sported two small wings on the shoulders. The wings were colored silver, but the rest of the cloak was midnight-black, an extended all the way down to his knees. At his side rested a silver-like sword, its cross guard made of another wing. The handle had yet another wing as the pommel. He spoke quietly but with confidence, looking directly at the other.

The other person, the one carrying the spear, looked back at him silently. The fire blossomed again as Pyredeamos unleashed another blast at a target, the glow lighting the figure. The female figure was backlighted, her figure outlined on by the fire. She wore a sleeveless black shirt and camouflage-colored trousers. Her spear had a simple wooden handle, topped by a leaf-shaped blade with silver edges. The bottom of her spear had a metal tip with a blunt blade. Her dark brown hair fell past her shoulders and her yellow eyes glinted in the firelight, reflecting the blaze from the war. The woman stayed silent, simply looking from the battle to the male, then back again. She inclined her head and jerked it towards the battle. The male sighed.

"You know, you're gonna be the death of me someday." He said, getting to his feet. He reached out and grasped the handle of the sword, sliding it back into the sheath with a serpentine ring. He walked towards the other figure, looking out at the battlefield with her. The smell of charred dragon wafted over from the war, along with the usual smells of war – sweat, burnt wood and terror – it was an almost tangible smell, drifting on the wind. The woman began to walk towards it, holding her spear in a ready stance. The man shrugged before following her onto the field.

Broken metal and charred wood covered most of the battlefield. Each step clinked against some thing – this step it was a smashed helmet, its entire side caved in by some great blade. The next, a corpse – still and limp, impaled by multiple arrows. The woman's foot knocked a smashed shard of blade away and she watched it clink across the floor. The smells of sweat and blood were overwhelming, making the air thick with its scent. Each breath was an effort, the smoke choking the ground no making it any easier. Here and there, the mercy killers wandered the field, looking for the injured. They would bring them the peace they craved, sliding a blade between their armor plates to end their suffering. Most cases were hopeless.

A charred body at the man's feet shuddered, raising the stump of one arm to him. His entire body was scorched black, his armor melted with the heat of the attack – it looked like he had been sideswiped by one of Pyredeamos's shots. His other arm was covered in metal – his glove had melted onto his hand, molten metal searing onto his hand. This man was unrecoverable, his wounds far too severe to contain – even if they were treated, the pain would stay with him the rest of his life. His stump touched against the male's leg and his mouth opened, a short croak coming from him. The male looked down silently for a moment, before reaching down to the man's belt and putting a hand on the mans charred belt. He lifted the belt, slightly moving the man, causing him to scream again. The male tugged at the belts small backup dagger, straining to pull it from its sheathe. Sadly, the guard had been melted onto its sheath, making it impossible to draw. The scorched man opened one of his eyes weakly, looking up at the other male. He saw the dagger, suck in its sheath, and a small tear fell from his eye, along with a sob that wrenched itself from his chest, escaping from a hole near his throat. A crunch of debris came from behind them and a long blade entered the man's heart, sipping through the melted armor like a knife through water. The man spluttered again, some blood escaping from the left side of his mouth, and his head fell backwards. Dead.

The male looked up and saw a hooded person holding a blade into the man's heart. The person was one of the mercy killers. As they backed up, the only place visible, their eyes, passed over the two others. The eyes were blank and soulless – the eyes of one who kills the injured, the eyes of someone who has killed more than many mass-murderers, never mind if they wanted it. The person turned and walked off, tugging the blade from the soldier at the same time. They stood like a living wraith on the battlefield, sloshing through the debris of war. Four others were almost staggering around in the background – the most wretched of jobs. The male stood up from the body, turning his eyes from the newly-still figure. He saw, in the short distance, the body of the earth dragon. Some runes from its magical entombment still flitted around its body like miniature fireflies. It lay spread-eagled across a crushed wooden stake trap, impaled thoroughly. The burn marks from its titanic tussle with Pyredeamos covered its body, but deeper underneath long scars could be seen crisscrossing its body, evidences of its many years of life before its forced servitude. The magic that had trapped this creature slowly bled from it, the air around this creatures corpse thick with unusual smells, reminiscent of a mage's work. Many people reported smelling unusual things when mages worked – many smelling unusual flora, others smells they remembered from their childhood. Others claimed to have smelled things that had never been identified, and this last one was the reasoning for the two people to be here today.

Some magicians shared a belief – that sentient being stored or summoned with magic did not simply cease to exist until called, but instead were placed in another dimension, parallel to the one they inhabited formerly. This theory had been trialed, but the only way to accurately research the subject was to view recently-recalled beings. Sadly, in this instance the earth dragon was dead, but its corpse may hold details. Since the subject was an earth dragon, a great power must have been used to seal it away – either a great magician of renown or many individuals melding their powers. Either way, the corpse may provide hints as to where the creature went when stored.

The theory of temporal dislocation, as it was known, was championed by a magi named Gendius, the only person known to have ever attempted to store and summon humans – the experiment left half of those present dead, drained completely of magical power, and himself with a permanent limp, but he bore the foot proudly, claiming that 'Sacrifices must be made to advance the science of temporal dislocation'. Since that ill-fated experiment, Gendius had contented himself to examine those recently re-summoned, but with the war in progress found it difficult to examine every single event of summoning that occurred. So, he began to employ hundreds of people to travel to these summon sites, checking the atmosphere for any strangeness and smelling for unusual aromas. These two were employed in a short space of time to one another, almost simultaneously, their experiences during their employment shared. This battlefield was their latest assignment, the earth dragon their target.

As they approached the comatose body, a powerful smell filled the air – one more potent than the smell of smoke, overlying even the smell of charring. The air around the dragon seemed different – winds seemed to push some grass in small circles, yet there was no breeze at all everywhere else. As the two approached the body, the smell got stronger and stronger until it was nearly overwhelming, filling their senses. The smell overlaid everything, their eyes watering with the smell – it smelt of long-lost flowers, unknown breezes, a tang of the ocean.

All their searches, their previous finds, paled in insignificance to this one.


End file.
